GRASSED UP

Day two and the Reading Festival is baking in a toxic, humid late summer heat. Backstage we have the odd sight of Alec Empire and Carl Crack from Atari Teenage Riot sitting at the next table to 50s throwback TV celebrity Mark Lamarr – ATR played the day’s most talked about set so far after that performance by Kevin Rowland – while Symposium, various members of Idlewild and Neil Hannon mill around.

Radiohead are here, wandering around en masse, apparently here to see some bands, particularly labelmates Medal. Fun Lovin’ Criminals live up to their name by nicking any beer that isn’t superglued down while Jarvis Cocker poked his head into the hospitality area earlier. He’s looking set to play with All Seeing I, headlining the dance stage.

But it’s Kevin Rowland that’s the main topic of conversation, opinions ranging from uncritical (and reality-defying) adulation to expressions of surprise that he didn’t get more bottles lobbed at him.

Previous Readings have been the scene of nasty mob-racist attacks (reggae band The Mighty Diamonds in the mid 70s) to bottles of piss that rained on the rock hags like Meat Loaf in 1988. Kevin got off lightly.